Scale Microgrids: Cleantech Solutions For California Wildfires
People living in different geographies must adapt and develop solutions to climate change issues unique to their location. In 2018, Californians dealt with devastating wildfires that swept through hundreds of miles of land afflicted by an unusually long drought over the past decade.
Extraorindary Wildfire Damage Calls for Extraordinary Measures
The grid’s infrastructure certainly played a part; a downed or unsafe utility wire sparked the initial flame in many instances. With 8.8 MILLION acres of land burned last year, the largest fire in the state’s history, and over $20 BILLION in losses, resolute action had to be taken.
California’s main utility companies have enacted a short-term solution known as Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). These are times when the utilities will turn off the power in certain areas when the threat of wildfires is high.
This inconvenient quick fix will cause substantial economic and social loss, but it is the lesser of two evils. However, in locations such as hospitals and assisted living homes, completely shutting off power is a non-starter. The current plan calls for diesel generators to provide backup power, but one company has a cleaner solution in mind.
Scale Microgrid Solutions
A microgrid can act as a nexus for various distributed energy resources as an on-site energy command center. It can supplement the grid or it can operate with complete autonomy, thereby making it an apt solution for power outages.
Scale Microgrid Solutions has developed a “Rapid Response Modular Microgrid” (R2M2) product specifically designed for California’s Public Safety Power Shutoffs. The R2M2 includes a solar PV array, lithium battery, and natural gas reciprocating engine.
Shea Hughes II, head of Scale Microgrid Solution’s California business, commented, “PG&E has stated that PSPS could be implemented up to 15 times a fire season for an average duration of 2–5 days. Clearly, 2–5 day power outages are not a sustainable or economically viable solution for California businesses. Additionally, the status quo solution — a diesel generator — is dirty, limited, and unreliable in the event of a disrupted supply chain.”
Viability of Microgrids
The financial burden of the utility outages illustrates the clear and present value of microgrids as a solution. The graph below depicts the projected cost of outages across the U.S.:
With estimates indicating 20 to 75 days of Public Safety Power Shutoffs, industrial businesses would take a massive financial hit. Additional use cases for microgrids beyond hospitals and assisted living facilities include:
- Retailers
- Grocery stores
- Hotels
- Cold storage
- Agriculture
ACT ON CLIMATE
If you live in California, take the precaution of being prepared for power shutoffs by scrolling through this handy guide:
